Time for a Drink!

My small group of guys is studying a book called “Nudge,” by Leonard Sweet. If you don’t know Leonard he is one of those guys who pushes your thinking and makes you stop and say, “ I never thought of it like that.”  He has a whole chapter on eating and drinking and why God intended it. It certainly pushes the limit, but without a doubt, it comes from the beginning of time--food and drinks have built the community. Good or bad we see this throughout Scripture and in our world today. Even the first sin involved a meal, well sort of.  Regardless, food brings us together in all sorts of ways. In the Bible there are a ton of references. Think of the Passover meal, when all the Israelites were around their tables eating before the final plague. Think of Jesus and his disciples eating the Last Supper together. .Eating around a table together was something they had probably done a million times, but this night was different.  It had deep meaning.  And, of course, the times that Jesus ate with sinners and how he was ridiculed for that.

We are great at eating with our friends but throw a stranger in the mix and it can throw off our vibe and even frustrate us at times. I am absolutely an extrovert to the T. I recharge by being around people. I love people and growing in relationships with them. Pretty much I could be around people 24/7 and it would never bother me, unless I can sense that they are stressed, and that they are ready for me or us to go. This awareness changes around new people; maybe it is because I am trying to figure them out. I am often an observer for a while until I feel I get to know them. As much as I love people these are the most challenging situations for me. This is an odd thing I observe about myself. According to Strength Finders 2.0 my number one strength is Includer; with that being the case, it would seem this would be easier for me. Yet, I find in a familiar environment, I watch that strength flourish, but in a new group it is not so present.

We are people who thrive in being comfortable. Situations that push our comfort zone are sometimes avoided. Yet, without challenging this comfort level, we would never go to school, get married, get a new job, or anything else on that list that involves meeting new people. With every relationship I learn something new and watch how God uses those relationships in my life. Through time we get more practiced at it, but still, deep down, find that draw to our personal comfort and space.

God’s timing to bring His Son into the world was amazing. You watch the details align and see how He perfectly fit into time. You learned how Jesus challenged the church and its leaders. In some of the ways they were comfortable with the way they felt the church should go or who was allowed to be included in their church. Jesus came to alter that by eating and drinking with the SINNERS! I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have Jesus sitting with me and getting a drink and to have a church leader say, “Hey, don’t talk to that guy, he is a sinner.” I probably would look over my shoulder and say, “Hey listen here buddy, (church leaders love it when you call them buddy) you’re a sinner too.”

What a crazy cycle as Jesus comes into the world and sits with us in our comfortable sinful lives; and calls us to love and repentance.  Then as soon as we make our new comfort level with our church friends, Jesus challenges us again to go do what he did: grab a drink with a sinner.

Don’t miss your chance this season to grab a drink or eat with unfamiliar sinners. They may be shocked that you said yes to their party, dinner or whatever the event is. But it will position you to tell them about God’s timing in how He sent Jesus. Sure, it may start with work conversations, national affairs, sports, clothes, music, family, or something else, but God in His perfect timing uses us to be His voice box. Why? Because when we have a drink with Him we remember how much we need Him, at His altar we hear His voice that we are forgiven. We know that there is no way we could go through this life without Him. And He knows when we meet with someone who doesn’t know that, who thinks they will just die and not exist anymore, there is a peace we can share with them because we experience it. But that all starts with a drink!